Ratiosu'Ratiasu
by Mordecai Kairo
Summary: A young furre is forced on adventure to find the legendary Ratiosu'Ratiasu temple after an attack on her home. Rated PG-13 for language and violence.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Here is my latest crossover: Wheel of Time/Furcadia. Crazier and crazier, don't I just get hat way? Well, here it is! C'mon, read it, and use that little button down at the bottom. Oh, and by the way, me no own. If you see something familiar, it isn't mine. Except for Mordi, and most of the characters. Also, the name 'ratiosu'ratiasu' comes from Pokemon. Nothing to do with Pokemon, though, I just like the name. -.- Why do they have to ruin good names by using them for dumb Japanese cartoons? X.x The world is a clone of the WoT world. Let's just say this is one of the Pattern's alternate realities… way alternate… :}_

Cold. Darkness. Within the abyss, something stirred. A single egg, lying in the corner of a musty, dank cellar rocked back and forth, a slight movement. Fine lines, cracks appeared in the glossy surface, then widened. With a crack that shattered the long-standing silence, a creature burst from it, emitting a high-pitched wail among the swirls of dust that escaped from under it as its former home fell. Crawling out of the upturned eggshell, an infant dragon slowly, shakily, stood. Glancing to and fro with its big, azure eyes, it blinked in the darkness. Frowning, it looked at its clawed hands, then up to a massive door. Branded upon it was a large circle, framed by two great birds; in the center was a pure blue crystal that shone with an unearthly light. Like a great eye, it shone; the dragonling stared at it for a moment, then turned, and walked up the empty passage.

As the hall ascended, it led into a great cavern; unfortunately, deserted. Clambering up shakily onto an upturned pedestal, the creature looked around. Blinking, its fresh mind registered the grim picture of a once-great hall in ruin: tapestries torn and dirtied, paintings defiled beyond repair, a shrine reduced to a twisted lump of gold…Suddenly, the ground shook. Fearfully, the hatchling scrambled off its perch, looking upward. A single crack appeared. Two. Three. They propagated, spreading outward, engulfing the stone. Groaning, bits of stone and dust began to fall. The young creature took off screaming toward the passage, crying, tears streaming down its soft, immature scaled face. Once in front of the door, it skidded to a halt among the mess of its birth. The ground took the opportunity to heave once more, throwing the child off its feet. A large chunk, twice larger than an adult Dragon, fell upon the lower half of the dragonling from the cracks that had now reached every stone surface. The child screamed again, the sound dwarfing anything that had been uttered by the thing since its birth. More stones fell, covering it, pinning it to the ground as the poor creature's lifeblood poured upon the gray stone, spilling outward in a pool of crimson. In desperation, the child looked upward at the blue eye-crystal: it was shimmering, revealing…something. The last look the child had of the world in its short life was of a circular symbol, half-white, half-black, separated by a sinuous line.


	2. Voices

A/N: For the record, all country borders are the same as they are in WoT; the country names, however, are much different. Feel free to trace Mordi's adventure if you have a map of "Randland". Also, this is set in the Age waaaay after Rand al'Thor. Waaaaaaaaaay after. Basically, this is the Third Age come again, in a sense.

Mordecai sighed. Kicking the dirt ruefully, she walked away from the clique of furres near the school building that were now occupying themselves with avid gossiping; minutes earlier, their entertainment had been her blundering foolishness. Biting her lip, she walked on.

It had started when she had tripped and fallen in front of Kati. The female was a canine, with pale greenish fur, and bright, sunny yellow hair. She had landed, unfortunately, right on the canine's foot, her elbow digging painfully into the other's.

"OW! Why don't you watch where you're going?" Kati had shouted.

"I'm sorry, I just fell, and…" Mordi had stammered.

"And what? You fell on me. That's a big no-no."

"I'm sorry!"

"Just shut up and go away, kay?" Just then, Lisai and Cisare, two of her best friends, had made their appearance. Lisai was an albino feline, and Cisare was a lapine, with tannish fur and platinum-white hair.

"What's this? The village idiot?" Lisai had said, smirking. Cisare had a smug grin plastered across her face. 

Speechless, she had gotten up, and walked away.

Grimacing, she kicked at the dirt again. With a start, she realized she was at the foot of the little pool she had grown up with, and had learned to swim in: the Coldwater Pool. Looking down with a frown, she followed a minnow's path with her eyes, deep in thought. She never noticed the approach of another furre. 

"Did Kati get at you again?" a voice from behind her said.

With a start, Mordi whirled around. There, behind her, stood her best friend, Mori'gaia. Leaning against the cave wall, she was a tall hybrid; sniffing, Mordi flicked at a spot on her face. Hybrids were generally looked down upon, either that or ignored altogether. Gaia was part canine; her body and face said that for sure, yet that fire-orange hair, and those ember-like eyes could not have come from another canine. Mordi opened her mouth to say something, but her open mouth shifted to an annoyed frown as her second-to-least favorite furre stepped into view behind her friend.

"Hey, baby. How're ya doin'?" he cackled. He was an equine, chocolate-furred with black markings and similar hair, with an attitude to match. _And he persists to no end,_ she thought grimly.

Snorting, she crossed her arms. "Blood and ashes, Jaido, why can't you leave me alone?"

Jaido stopped, wearing a hurt look. "Ooooh, that hurt. Look at me, I'm crying." His expression quickly faded to a mocking look. "Now, why can't we just go down to the dock for once, babe?"

"I said no, you flaming idiot!"

"Oh, but you've got to. I bet you want to! I know you do! You just can't resist ol' Jaido!"

Baring her teeth in an angry grin, she hissed through her teeth. "What part of the word 'no' do you not understand?"

"All of it," Jaido replied, cackling at his own joke.

Baring her teeth even more in a silent snarl, she shut her eyes and balled her fists. "I'm giving you to three. One. Two…"

At three, he bolted, laughing.

Gaia walked up to her. "He thinks he's so funny. Look at him, runnin' away, giggling like an idiot!"

Mordi sighed. She fingered the ring on the chain around her neck absentmindedly. Her mother had given her that ring as she lay on her deathbed, and with it came a dire warning:

"You must leave the village with this. Never."

"I promise, Mother. I will not."

Blinking, she let it fall back to her chest. She looked up, and approaching were a trio of furres, followed closely by a giggling clique. _No! Burn you, Kati!_ she thought angrily. 

The three were Tam, Minkasho, and Chachu. Chachu was a goofy, white and orange furred feline, Minkasho was a black equine who looked constantly confused but was just as silly, and Tam…Tam was a tall, cream-furred canine. None of the usual slight color streaks were in his fur; it was a pure and unblemished, and his short, straight hair was a light grayish-brown. And his eyes. Mordi backed behind a palm, simultaneously sighing and growling. His eyes, unlike most furres in the small village of Cairindy, were a dark brown. 

Yet, it was a well-known fact that Kati had eyes for him. And Kati got whatever she wanted regardless of what anyone else thought or did. Mordi only clung to the fine thread of hope that no one knew what Tam thought about her.

"Hey, Tam, wanna come walk with us to the river?" Kati said. Her clan giggled behind her.

Tam blinked; after looking to Minkasho and Chachu, he shrugged. "I don't know, I guess…"

"Great!" Kati interjected, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him away, Cisare and Lisai dancing around them excitedly.

Gaia snorted beside Mordi. "I can't believe that-"

Mordi sighed, not for the first time, as Gaia went into another rant about the 'unjustness of the world'. While the hybrid was still speaking, Mordi got up and began to follow the group.

And then came the voice.

"_Flesh so fine, so fine to tear, to gash the skin; skin to strip, to plait, so nice to plait the strips, so nice, so red the drops that fall; blood so red, so red, so sweet; sweet screams, pretty screams, singing screams, scream you song, sing your screams, come to me, I know you cannot resist; come to me, come to me, COME…_"

Reeling, she fell back, head in her hands. Gaia caught her, shouting something, but all hearing was lost to her. Sight fading in to a gray dot, she fell. And fell. And fell into the dark abyss of her flickering thoughts.

***

Waking with a start, she shouted. Eyes flickering to and fro, Mordi looked upon her friend's frightened face.

"Wh-…What happened?"

Gaia's eyes widened. "Thank the Light you're okay. You just…fell. Like you fainted, but you were saying things…I couldn't make it out, but it sounded…Are you okay?" she finished finally. 

Getting up and brushing herself off, she said a curt, "I'm fine," then started off after Tam and Kati again. But deep in her mind, troubled thoughts arose of the voice that was not her own.

_A/N: How'd you like that? Tell me what you think; use the little button below. :) _


	3. Attack on the Village

A/N: Yes, the furries have swords. Otherwise, how would they defend themselves? O.o And YES they CAN channel (some of them). Dear me, why can't you just accept the flaming story already! Oh, and I know I haven't described Mordi yet. That's coming, have no fear! Oh (again), and I needed a villain, so I used Grendels from C2, named Locs. e.e Heheh. Bear with me on the purity of the WoT stuff. I use furries because I cannot bear to draw humans, and since I draw all my story chars, I used furries. Plus, furries are just so much more fun. The units of measurement are equal to meters: 400 strides are equal to 400 meters. And another thing: if you see something in here that's familiar, it's probably not mine. Except for the Ryugin, which are entirely. Don't take them. Or I'll feed you to my pet Balrog, Morgai. :)

Creeping up behind a gnarled tree, Mordi peered at Tam, Kati, and the others. Gaia had fallen back; her mother had found that she had not done her chores. Ears cocking to catch their words, she listened.

"Isn't the river beautiful, Tam?"

"Uh…"

"Oh, come on, it is, isn't it?"

"Well…I guess so."

Kati sighed, and put her hand over Tam's, wiggling her feet in the shallow water of the river's banks, where she sat with the other. Tam looked at her, though Mordi didn't catch his expression. Whatever it was, Kati's smile faltered, and then came back bigger than ever. However, the expression stopped short of her eyes.

Disgusted look plastered across her face, she fell back behind the tree once more. Eyes closed, she let out a long, slow breath.

The telltale crashing sound of a large beast approaching reached her ears. Startled, she turned.

Nearby, a stooping, scabrous creature halted momentarily to sniff the air. Its skin was a dull, scaled green; its spine was horribly disfigured, thrown upward in a hump that reared above its head. The creature's cranium held sharp angles; its lipless, fanged jaw was squarely set. Sickeningly yellow hair sprouted in an oily mohawk from its head, and its ears looked like a sick mockery of a normal furre's. Standing bowleggedly, its feet were flat and its toes were tipped with a claw each; its three-fingered hands held a curved scimitar. Ruby red eyes glanced around, elliptical pupils dilating in the low light that filtered through beneath the trees.

More crashing, and another had caught up. And another. Mordi's breath caught in her chest. If the stories told true, a living legend was standing there: a Loc. Hideous and misshapen, Locs were supposedly ruined furres, minions of the Dark leader, Bauglir. _Legends. Only legends!_ Mordi thought frantically; but there they were, standing before her eyes. Kati and the others had not noticed. 

With a cry of "Ghash nor kannagh!" the Locs suddenly charged south. After a moment, screams issued, and the drawing of swords was heard. Mordi burst from her hiding spot, racing toward the sounds of battle.

Panting, she slid to stop. Two Locs lay still on the dirt road of the village, one rodent was moaning and had a hand over his side, crimson staining his fingers while he slumped against the side of a thatch-roofed house. Five others were engaged in battle with the monstrosities, swords clanging fiercely. Backing away, she turned and ran, toward the river once more.

When she reached it, she stopped out of pure shock. There, a single Loc had cornered Tam and Kati. Chachu and Minkasho were pressed back against the wall, eyes wide. Cisare and Lisai were crying uncontrollably, at the feet of the formers. 

"HEY!" Mordi shouted. A part of her was screaming to run, but as if someone else was controlling her actions, she picked up a stray stone, and hurled it at the beast. Snarling, it whirled around, waving its sword wildly. Eyes falling upon Mordi, it leaped at her, red eyes glimmering with pure hatred.

Mordi stood stock still, frozen with shock as the thing careened toward her. At the last possible moment, one of the furres that had been fighting at the village, a valiant feline, leaped from behind her, and drove his sword into the beast's chest. Eyes widening, the Loc's leap fell short, carrying it to the feet of the owner of the weapon. Ebon blood gushed from the wound, staining the ground beneath it. Moaning, its tail flopped once, and then it was still. 

Touching it gingerly, the male who had slain the creature prodded it, and then gave it a hard shove to turn it over. With a sickening squelch, he pulled the sword from the creature. Nodding to Mordi, he hurried back toward the battle.

Mordi gasped and coughed, covering her nose with both hands; the dead thing was giving off a pungent odor that made a skunk seem pale by comparison. Kati broke out crying, while Chachu and Minkasho both collapsed, a hand on their chests each. Tam's eyes were wide; his hand had been wrenched from Kati's, and he was getting up. Mordi took one last look at them and the slain beast, and north. A cry was issued from Tam's throat.

"Wait!"

Mordi, however, did not wait. She ran with all her speed toward the village, a mere 400 strides away. The clatter of swords had faded.

When she reached the center of her tiny village, the wounded were already being helped to nearby houses, while a group of the males who had been fighting had set to work on dragging the carcasses of the Locs away from both village and river; no one wanted a contaminated source of water. One of them, having dragged a particularly large (and ugly) Loc toward the growing pile, Mordi recognized as the furre who had rescued her from the lone Loc.

"You were very lucky, that you were spying on your friends like that." he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why?" Mordi asked, suspiciously.

"Because Locs kill for the pleasure of killing. They'll hew down anything in their path that moves, whether it be furre or animal, but they are not the brightest of creatures; they'll ignore all else when they've cornered something, their lust for blood is so great." Sheathing his sword, he took a step closer. "Come. We need to speak in private."

Mordi nodded silently, following the feline as her swept past her, toward one of the nearby cottages. Opening the wooden door casually, he stepped inside, Mordi following closely. 

Inside, Mordi looked around. The room was well lit with oil lamps, but the only furnishings were a high-backed resting chair, an ottoman, a small table with one lonely stool, and a shelf full of weapons. In the light, Mordi could now see the winged dragon on the hilt of the other's sword. _A dragon-mark blade. Light! _ She shuddered. The feline pushed back the ottoman, and gestured for her to sit. She sat, frowning.

"By the way, our acquaintance was rather hasty…I am Kash." he said. As Mordi opened her mouth to speak, he quickly let out, "I already know you are called Mordi; your mother is quite loud in announcing your need to complete chores." She winced.

Kash pointed to the cord around her neck. "If I may ask, what is that? I've seen you with it ever since I moved here."

Mordi hesitated, then pulled the rest of the cord – and the ring – from within her blouse.

Kash frowned. "Where did you find that?" he asked. Expression changing to a small smile, he added, "It is quite a beautiful piece."

"Thank you." she replied.

"But really…where did you find it?"

She hesitated once more. "My mother gave it to me."

"Ah." Frowning again, Kash studied the floor. Mordi leaned forward, hands on her chin.

Immediately afterward, Mordi felt something whiz by above her head, the wind ruffling her hair a bit. Like lightning personified, Kash was up, sword drawn, and within the span of a second had decapitated whoever had been the owner of the object that had missed her head. She let out a small yelp, jumping up to see what the creature was.

It was no creature. Instead, it was an equine so ordinary-looking that Mordi doubted she would have noticed him in the street, or in a crowd. Ordinary, except for the fact that he carried a small axe in his hands, and, that his head was lying on the floor a few feet away. Kash leaned down, grabbing the muzzle of the head to look it in the eyes. Head drawing back, he pulled his hand from the gory thing; grimacing, he wiped his hand on his trousers as if it had been dirtied.

"What was that? Who was that?"

Distractedly, Kash said "A Gray Furre. They're minions of the Dark One, minions so dedicated to the Shadow that they have literally given their souls away to become his assassins. You can see it in their eyes: they have no soul, and therefore, they are also known as the Soulless." Closing his eyes, he said quietly, "I – we – have little time."

"Little time for what?" Mordi asked.

"Little time to get going. We need to get you to Eriador, as soon as possible."

Her breath caught. Eriador. The city of the Aes Sedai, those fabled ones who could channel the Power. _Light! The Aes Sedai!_ Too many tales had been told of the things an Aes Sedai could do, and what they did with their power. 

"Why?" Mordi asked.

Kash answered, "That Gray Furre…those Locs…it's too much to be a coincidence. Someone, likely a Darkfriend, is after you, after a village girl. For no apparent reason. I have a hunch."

Mordi shifted uncomfortably. "What's that? What's your hunch?"

"Years ago, I read an interesting scroll. It was hidden beneath a pile of obscure, pointless recordings in the Library; I'd wager it hadn't been read in years. The scroll told of the legend of Ratiosu'Ratiasu. You know, no doubt, of the 15 Ryugin?"

Mordi nodded. The legend of the Ryugin was told to most youngsters; up until now, she had thought of it as only a story. After the Locs, though, she thought to keep an open mind.

"According to legend," Kash went on, "there were 15 Ryugin, one for each element: Serebii, Magutu, Isai, Ryugia, Hou'ou, Aitucu, Flareth, Zaithos, Shukun, Kourai, Kortei, Kairo, Subil, Skarmor, and Bauglir. While most stories differ in the way it occurred, all agree that Bauglir turned from the Light to serve the Shadow. Over the years a war was fought, and upon the last day of the Age of Song, as the War of Power was being fought against Morgoth Shai'tan, the Dark One, Kortei threw Bauglir into Shayol Ghul, and he was destroyed. The Ryugin fled this world, as the rebound from Bauglir's destruction and the resealing of the Dark One in his prison spread outward, Breaking the World. However, one source above all others states differently: that, indeed, Bauglir was overthrown, but only imprisoned, and that the Ryugin did not flee this world. They collapsed into themselves, falling into a deep sleep, one that could not be roused…unless…"

Mordi, who had been listening intently, asked, "Unless what?", the words slipping before she could control herself.

Smiling, Kash continued, "Unless the Aethonon Prophecies are fulfilled. That was precisely what was in the scroll I read."

"One part of the Prophecies tell of the opening of Bauglir's prison at Shayol Ghul, and how the Dragonborn will rise with the Child of the Elite to fight him. Most of it deals with the signs of the Dragonborn's coming, and most is too obscure to puzzle out. But there was one part that told of the first sign, in a clearer manner. Back before the Age of Song, after Bauglir's treachery was first realized, a great temple was built deep beneath the earth: Ratiosu'Ratiasu, the home of the Tear of the Stone, and the two Great Guardians. The Prophecies said that when the true Child and the Dragonborn unite the Tear and the Ring of Shukun, the Great Guardians Ratiosu and Ratiasu would come forth to aid in the battle against the Last Shadow. No records tell of what the Tear looks like, but a footnote of a footnote told of the Ring. It would be made of pure-silver, with a phrase engraved in letters of Air and Water on it:

"'_Hau un ash olon esk she yu Adhaneth, hau un ash ailan esk she yu Scathashorn. Hau griu nol katan esk halag nolgi ath gordh, hau griu nol asu esk halag nolgi ath ethisorn.'"_

"In the Common speech, it goes as follows:

"'Let no one hold me but the Chosen, let no one wear me but the Dragonborn. Let they who unite me think only of need, let they who use me think only of salvation.'" 

Mordi pulled at the cord around her neck, fingering the ring. Peering at it, she offhandedly said, "I don't see any markings on it. It's smooth."

"We will see, in Eriador," Kash said. 'For now, we'll-"

A knock came at the door.

_A/N: Yeah, I know, I'm mean with all my cliffies. Well, it would have sounded strange if I cut it anywhere else, and the next chapter has to have some meat to it; big things start to happen. :}_


	4. A Shadow in the Night

A/N: Here it is! Things get creepier in this one, so read on with caution…mwahaha. o.o This time, the voice was taken from Harry Potter (the basilisk). Borrowed this next conversation from LotR…I thought it fit perfectly. )

With a glance to Mordi, Kash eased the sword from its scabbard, and cautiously approached the door. All within a space of a second, the feline opened the door, hit whatever was there with the flat of his weapon, swore loudly, and pulled Tam in by the scruff of his neck.

"Blood and bloody ashes! Tam Althir, have you been eavesdropping?!"

"No, sir, I haven't been dropping any eaves…sir…" Tam said quickly, with a sporadic glance to the sword.

Kash gave him a stern look, and dropped him to the floor with no semblance of gentleness. "What have you heard?" the feline said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Umm…something about a temple…a Dark Lord…and I think something about a great big Dragon…" 

Scowling, Kash crossed his arms, measuring the canine up. "Seeing as there is no real way to punish you…I have an idea…"

***

Ten minutes later, Tam was laden with a large backpack, a bulging utility belt, and a bag full of dried meats, day-old bread, and water-skins. 

"Augh! Can't you take some, Kash, sir?"

Looking at him with a mix of scorn and amusement, Kash replied, "No. I need both my hands ready." while gesturing to his sword.

Tam gulped. Mordi set a smug look to her face.

Once they were packed, Kash opened the heavy door, and stepped outside. Mordi followed, Tam trailing awkwardly with his multiple burdens. 

They passed several houses on their way east. Mordi had never realized until now how tiny her home village really was; all it consisted of were a loose ring of thatch-roofed houses around a few more homes and a three-story inn, the biggest building there. More houses bordered the outskirts, but that made no difference to the size. Passing a window on one of the houses farther from the center, she caught a glimpse of herself in a newly cleaned window. Tall and thin for a canine, she sported black on black fur, which was silky and of medium length. She liked the color indigo; at the moment she wore a slightly dirt-stained (from the previous scuffle) vest of the color with matching trousers. Like most furres in her town, she was bootless, but she sported bracers around her hocks; they were plain brass. 

The most interesting thing about her, however, was her hair. It was a bright, lime green that shone and glittered in the sun; almost like minute stars twinkling on her head. Her eyes were just as strange: they were a luminous, glowing blue. All furres' eyes shone somewhat when in the dark, but hers did so to the excess, so much that they occasioned comment by those who didn't know her well. Looking away, she followed the silent Kash past the unofficial village boundary, and into the forest. 

Never take this Outside.

I promise. I will not.

_But I have to,_ she thought guiltily. _I have to._

With a small sigh, Mordi shifted her load, and trudged onward.

***

Hours later, the last rays of the sun were dying when Kash finally stopped them. Glancing around, Mordi thought – by the endless vista of grassy hills and sparse copses of trees – that they were somewhere in the Caralain Grass. They had been traveling all day; Mordi was ready to fall asleep on the spot, Tam was grumbling under his breath, and Kash was standing, surveying their campsite as if on a brisk sunset walk. Without a word, Kash gathered some rocks to build a fire ring. By the time they had unpacked, he had the ring constructed, and was beginning to fiddle with kindling. Tam sat down – hard – and leaned against his pack, groaning and muttering inaudibly under his breath.

A screaming whinny was heard in the distance. It made a shiver run down Mordi's back, and her blood run cold.

Kash's eyes widened, with (and at this Mordi became even more frightened) fear. Whispering furiously, he ordered "Get everything! Every scrap of every flaming piece of bloody canvas, everything!" His hands shook as he tore apart the ring twice as fast as he had built it; harshly, he pointed animatedly toward a low dip in the ground. "Over there! Put it over there!" Mordi grabbed her luggage, and leaped within skillfully; finding that there was a small, shallow overhang of rock, she darted inside, heart pounding. Tam followed, with his share, and finally Kash, after glancing fearfully to the plains around them, jumped within. "Make no sound! Not a bloody…flaming…word!"

For a moment, nothing could be heard or seen. Then, the steady 'clop-clop' of hooves was heard, coming from the south. Mordi risked the slightest glance, peeking over the lip of rock and soil, then pulled back to the inside wall as far as she could, teeth bared in a rictus.

A shadow, that was all it was. Barely within, a horse could be seen, pure ebony with gleaming, dark red pools that rolled fiercely. Whatever was atop it was consumed by the atramentous cloak of shadow around it that sucked all light from the area; its true form could not be deciphered. Vaguely, the head could be considered draconic, with dual, swept back crests atop its head; the eyes were nothing more than pits; glaring with pure unbridled hatred for anything living. Slowly it rode, stopping a bare five feet from the hole in the terrain within which Mordi and the others were cowering with pure terror.

Leaping from its mount, it made a faint 'poomf', as of something soft hitting the ground. With sinuous grace like to that of a viper, it moved swiftly to where the fire ring had once been. Kash was mouthing a wordless, silent oath; Tam was flat against the wall, eyes wide as saucers. After moving the dirt with what seemed to be a foot, it swept itself next to the hole; with serpentine grace, it placed its hands over the hole's edge, and looked inside. Neck extended, it sniffed, peering with those eyeless sockets, those black pits darker than the abyss of death. 

Mordi felt a kind of chill that seemed to be emitting from it, and with that chill came a whispering voice that was cold and murderous:

"_Rip…tear…kill…I smell…I smell blood…I SMELL BLOOD…_"

Mordi gasped, and at the same time, Kash picked up a small stone from the floor and hurled it out of the hole toward the creature's horse. With a hissing growl, the thing flung itself toward the pebble; bony, claw-tipped hands were extended from the darkness wreathed 'round it, poised to grab anything in its morbid embrace. Mordi closed her eyes, desperately hoping the thing would go away, leave them alone…

And then, a shrill, whistling cry came from the night, back in the direction from which they came; it seethed with death and blood, told of nothing but darkness and shadow. There were words in that fell cry, but what they were could not be clearly heard, nor understood. The creature gathered itself up, leaped back atop its horse, and galloped off in the direction of the cry. Kash slumped, and Mordi sighed.

Gaping, Tam shakily asked, 'Wh-…what was that thing?"

Licking his lips, Kash answered, "A Neverborn."

_Creepeh, huh? Tell me what you think. And no, the Neverborn are not ringwraiths; they seem so right now, but they're actually very different._


	5. Travels

A/N: Udûn is basically the word for hell in this fic; just wanted to clear that up. Heh. Miso Chian is an inside joke; don't worry if you don't get it. If you do, you probably know me IRL. e.e 

"What's a Neverborn?" Mordi asked, in a trembling voice.

Kash blew a forced breath from between his teeth. "The Neverborn were created…or rather, twisted…into their present form within the mountain of Shayol Ghul, nestled inside the Blightlands. They were once furres, long ago, but through the torture and abuse of the Dark One they lost all sense of normal being. Their very souls have been corrupted, and their bodies have wasted away. A single look from them can strike fear into the bravest furre, and sometimes even drive a victim mad. Neverborn have no true form; they are the essence of shadow and darkness, and where there are natural shadows, they can meld into them and become all but invisible. Even where there are none, they create a shadow of their own, one that draws all light near it into their abyss…They can see only in the Shadow-world, but their sense of smell is so refined that they can sense the life-blood of a creature from a half-mile away. The only known weakness of theirs is water; they will not wade into anything more than waist deep, and even then, at the utmost distaste. Sunlight also deters them; they cannot hide when their shadow is there for all to see. They were, truthfully, never born."

Mordi fell silent, wishing she had held her tongue.

"We leave by dawn. The Neverborn are sly creatures; they're hardly above an ambush."

That night, they set up camp again underneath the little alcove. It was cramped, and no one even suggested starting a fire, which Mordi didn't mind much. When they unpacked the blankets and made ready for bed, she could not help peering out into the black night for any sight of a shadow, or cocking her ears for any sound of hooves. She tried to sleep, but she kept shifting, thinking of nothing but that dark shadow. Kash seemed to be the only one asleep; at any rate, Mordi hoped that it was a light one. Tam moved not at all, but with the glint of the moon's light Mordi saw that his eyes were wide open as well.__

Sighing, Mordi closed her eyes and snuggled deeply into her thin blanket, trying to drive away the dark thoughts that invaded her head.

*        *          *

When Mori'gaia had heard of Mordi and Tam's exodus, she was furious – that she hadn't been brought along. Now, she sat on a small wood stool in her room, idly twirling her finger within the water of a pitcher; she was supposed to be readying herself for bed, but the night kept her awake, and her thoughts were too muddled from the previous day that it was hardly a surprise that she was wide awake. 

A loud, whinnying cry was heard. It had a scream-like quality to it that Gaia could not place; but at the same time, an odd feeling came over her. She quickly withdrew her hand from the pond, disgustedly, eyes carrying a fiery glow. She was angry. Angry at the water, angry at the thing that had screamed, angry at Mordi for leaving, angry at Tam for following, angry at Kati for being with Tam…

She snarled, hardly aware she was doing so, hand brushing aside the pitcher, unaware as to the clatter it made as the pottery impacted the floor, surprisingly, without breaking. In the back of her mind, there was a voice, a crying, plaintive voice that wondered what had happened, what fell beast had taken control of her body…

Just as suddenly as it had come, it had gone, and Morgai was left standing there with her teeth bared in a rictus, and ignorant as to why. Blinking, she covered her teeth, and backed away from the spilt contents of the pitcher. For an odd reason she could not place, she hated the water – hated it with as much of the emotion that was in her. Turning, she padded toward her bed, sitting down while her face contorted into a deep frown. _What just happened? What was that? _Who _was that inside my mind?_

Shaking her head, she rose and padded quietly toward her bedroom door. Peeking out, she snuck to the doorway; grabbing a lantern and some flint on the way out. Once outside upon the cool grass, she hastily lit the lantern – quickly, for she had an odd talent for starting fires – and headed toward the village library, wondering lazily if she had the energy to deal with the monstrous head librarian known as Miso Chian. Already the strange feelings were buried beneath a stack of other, more important thoughts.

The grass masked her pawtreads, enough so that most wouldn't have heard if she had been within a stride of them. A few people were about; it was just after sunset, and the glow of the sun had all but faded from the night sky. Not terribly late, but she winced anyway. It was after dinner, but that didn't mean that chores were not to be done. Stifling a groan at the thought, she gave a start at finding herself at the library so soon. All other thoughts rushed from her head as she quietly opened the door, formulating a plan to escape the dominant creature here.

As if thinking the name had summoned her, Miso Chian appeared before Gaia, arms crossed beneath her breasts while her foot tapped the floor irritably.

"Why you no be bringing back the book on time?" Miso said in a commanding tone. The female musteline acted as if she was the head of every country on the face of the World; at the least, she was queen of her library. Her foreign accent marked her as a rare immigrant to their village; her strange way of talking announced her as Naillaner

With a small start she remembered: she had borrowed a book from the library, only to have lost it. _If that witch finds out…_ Eyes darting to and fro for an avenue of escape, she muttered "Uhh…I don't know?"

A tight-lipped frown caught Miso's lips; Gaia braced herself for one of the librarian's infamous upbraidings.

*        *          *

In the morning, Mordi awoke to the noise of scraping. Barely awake, she sat up, opening her eyes until they were bare slits, and no more. She saw Kash squatting on the ground, ladling stew into a bowl. Tam was still asleep; from the state of his blankets (thrown askew), he had gotten about as much sleep as Mordi had, which was close to none. There was not much light, only the cold glow that preceded dawn; the air held a fresh chill to it.

Not looking up from what he was cooking, Kash said, "You're up. Good." He gave Mordi a bowl filled with some kind of stew, along with a wooden spoon. "Here. Eat. You'll need your energy." Drowsily, Mordi took the bowl, her head nodding. Kash flicked her cheek; Mordi's eyes snapped wide open, then fell half-closed again. "Not a good night's sleep, eh?" he said, mouth twisting into a wry grin. Mordi's reply was a feeble attempt to feed herself; she missed her mouth. Feeling the hot liquid spill down her vest, she snapped semi-awake. Tam emitted a loud yawn as she struggled to wipe the steaming stew off of her. To Mordi's senses, it smelled like meat of some kind; where Kash had found the time to hunt, skin, and butcher an animal was completely beyond her at the moment; she could hardly concentrate on more than one task, anyway. Sighing with fatigue, she set to feeding herself diligently.

After everyone had eaten, Tam gathered up everything hurriedly, though he was careful in his inspection of the camp afterwards. They made their way briskly out of the little alcove, and had soon left the camp far behind them.

***

Glancing around, Mordi sighed. For all the eye could see, there was nothing but low hills, sheathed in a covering of tall grass. The monotony of the scenery was occasionally broken by a scraggly copse of trees. Worse, she had had to put up with it for four days. Her legs hurt; she wasn't surprised. Even though she was the fastest runner in her village, she had never walked twenty miles a day for four days. Back bent under the weight of the bag she now hoisted along with each step, Mordi looked forward: toward the high hills that had now loomed above them for the better part of a day. 

They trudged on, oblivious to anything that crossed their path unless it carried promise of food or water; Kash seemed to be the only one not succumbing to the dread disease that plagued Mordi and Tam: boredom. Mordi had glared at Kash's back enviously numerous times, and Tam had taken up muttering to himself under his breath for the past ten miles. 

Suddenly, a faint tickle in her ears brought Mordi's head jerking up. Nothing could be seen, but while the scenery had remained virtually unchanged for so long, Mordi had gotten used to the abrupt silence of the plains, known as the Caralain grass, and the usual clinking and padfalls of her companions. Now, at the reach of her hearing, the disturbance manifested itself: a steady, drumming rhythm. Kash held up a hand; Tam halted, nearly running into Kash, and Mordi followed in actions, though more gracefully. The sound was closer now; close enough so she could recognize their origin; they were the beat of a horse's hooves upon the terrain. 

_I know I'm mean with the cliffies. e.e Sorry about the delay for this chappie; I had to go back and redo the first four chapters because I suddenly was stricken with a better idea. O.o Anyway, review. Now. Or I'll hurt you. __J__ (just kidding…we hope…mwahahah…)_


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